With Goose Island’s annual release of their Bourbon County Brand line, comes, in some cases, a little bit of hysteria. People line up outside their favorite beer store waiting to get their hands on that year’s release. Luckily, for me, I was about to grab the last bottle of the Barleywine variant at a local store near my parents in Pennsylvania. That is after I looked at numerous stores near me in Connecticut. With that being said, let’s check out what all the fuss is about with this line of specialty releases and specifically, the Barleywine. This brew weighs in at a hefty 10.1% ABV. So it’s not for the faint of heart. Let’s have a brew:

Aroma: Right off the bat you will find yourself realizing why this beer is referred to a style that contains the word “wine” in the title. You will be greeted with a boozy, alcoholic scent that will mix in with the expected bourbon aroma.

Appearance: This brew will pour a chocolate brown and finishing with an off white head that will leave rings around your glass. You will notice some effervescence in your glass as well as some sediment which may collect in the bottom of your glass. But don’t worry, it won’t hurt you if you do drink it.

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Flavor: With your first sip, you will be treated a luscious combination of chocolate and coffee. The chocolate/coffee flavor will fade and give way to the bourbon which will finish your sip. You may also discover some sweetness as well which is a nice addition to the three other dominate flavors.

Mouthfeel: Each sip will consist of a clean, thin and light body. With very little carbonation to speak of, this brew will drink very, very smooth.

Overall: After finishing off this brew, you will come to find the reason why there is such a crazy for this annual Goose Island lineup release. With a great combination of flavors and sweetness, this brew will make you forget how heavy it actually is. It thin mouthfeel will make this brew very easy to drink.